Female presidents take the reins in MPFNL
Almost a quarter of clubs in the Mornington Peninsula league have female presidents. We take a look at the changing face of local football.
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It was noticeable at the first Mornington Peninsula Football Netball League president’s meeting of 2023 last week.
Five of the 22 clubs were led by female presidents.
You could say girl power is booming in the local league.
“It’s amazing,” new Somerville FNC president Sam Merks said.
“I didn’t realise there was five of us.
“I thought there were going to be about three. And we’ve been well accepted. There’s been no chauvinism you could say.”
Sara Burke is in her third season as president of Karingal FNC, while Merks, Kim Jackson (Pines), Cassandra Clayton (Mt Eliza) and Louise Meagher (Frankston YCW) have stepped into the top job at their respective clubs this year.
At Somerville, both its senior and junior clubs are led by women, with Debbie Demooy president of the junior Eagles.
Merks remembers a time — not long ago — when females were in the background at football clubs.
Now they’re leading the way.
“I actually take it as an honour and a privilege,” Merks said.
“When I grew up at a Crib Point, the females, we were at the club, but you weren’t in those higher roles, so we have evolved as a community and it’s wonderful. I think it’s really good.
“As my husband says, and it’s true, it’s not the gender of the person that matters, it’s the right person. I think we’ve all got used to that now.”
Helping out at football clubs is in Merks’ DNA. Her dad was a trainer at Crib Point footy club and her mum ran the canteen.
Merks met her husband Troy in the 1990s and made the move to Somerville.
It was Troy, who is Somerville’s football manager, who encouraged Sam to put her hand up to be president.
“He (Troy) said, ‘if you want to, go for it’, so he fully supports it,” Sam Merks said.
“Our kids are now grown up, they’re in their 20s.
“We have our own business so I can pick and choose my hours. So what else do I do with my time? Go and be president of the local football club.”
Somerville hasn’t won a senior football premiership since 1986, but the Eagles continue to work hard.
“I think it’s 37 years this year, 1986 was the last one,” Merks said.
“Everyone has been trying for years. And look, it’s a great club, that’s why I love it and I have the passion because it is a great club, the people around are just wonderful people.
“The direction we are heading at the moment…we are trying to build off local talent and that probably hasn’t happened for a long time.
“It could make the difference, sticking with the local talent because it’s definitely there.”
Somerville has appointed former Collingwood AFLW assistant coach Chris Gamble as senior coach.
Merks said Gamble has made an immediate impact.
“He’s very exciting and he’s got a bit of AFL background. He’s in the Navy,’’ she said.
“He’s just a true gentleman, he really is, and the boys have really embraced that. I think we’ve gone from the hard core coaches and we’ve now come to a bit of a softer approach so we’ll see how that goes.”
Somerville kicks off the 2023 MPFNL Division 2 season away against Crib Point on Saturday, April 1.